Incinerator door interlock system



y 27, 1965 N. F. HAHN El'AL 3,196,814

INCINERATOR DOOR INTERLOCK SYSTEM Filed Dec. 19, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 20k 30 B j 20k f f" B FIR/N6 30 v CONTROL J J INVENTORS 4/ Norman F. Hahn. F1 1 Milton F. Pravda M, AT ORNEY July 27, 1965 N. F. HAHN ETAL INCINERATOR DOOR INTERLOCK SYSTEM 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 19, 1962 INVENTORS Norman F. [lull/n Milton F. Pravda 0M ATTORNEY 3,196,814 TNCHNERATGR DOOR INTERLOCK SYSTEM Norman E. Hahn, Cleveland, and Milton F. Pravda, Solon, Uhio, assignors to Cleveland Controls, Inc, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed Dec. w, 1962, Ser. No. 245,876 9 Claims. (Cl. 119-48) This invention relates to a door interlock system and more particularly'to a system for interlocking the doors to incinerators such as are used in apartments.

As is well known, many apartment dwellings are provided with a common incinerator and each floor of the building has an access door, which may be opened by the tenant and his burnable refuse deposited therein. The actual chute into which the waste material is deposited may also be the flue for the incinerator. In any event, the deposited material falls down to the lower level and after a period of time, when sufficient refuse has accumulated, it is ignited and burned.

Since the access openings are directly above each other should any one of them not be closed, smoke and fumes from the burning refuse could leak out and cause an undesirable condition and damage. In addition, such an open door interrupts the draft and interferes with the burning. Furthermore, it is desirable to prevent the door from being opened during the burning process and thus prevent endangering personnel from the flames or smoke.

By the present invention it is possible to prevent the doors from being opened during the burning period. It is also possible to prevent ignition of the refuse in the incinerator if a door is open. Furthermore, should a door be open, it is possible for the custodian to determine which door is open or is not locked and go directly to that door and close it or determine what is interfering with the locking mechanism.

Still other advantages of the invention and the invention itself will become more apparent from the following description of an embodiment thereof, which description is illustrated by the accompanying drawings and forms a part of this specification.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the invention;

FIG. 1a is a diagrammatic view of an incinerator;

FIG. 2 is a view, partly in elevation with the cover removed and partly in section of the mechanism under the cover, of one of the locking devices; and

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view with the housing shown in section.

Referring now to the drawings, throughout which like parts have been designated by like reference characters, and particularly to FIG. 1, there is illustrated a series of four doors fil 10 llll and 10 which may be the access doors on four different floors of an apartment building. These doors close the opening to a chute or flue, not shown, into which refuse may be dropped. The refuse nited States Patent from all floors usually drops to an incinerator in the basement where it is ultimately burned.

Each opening is provided with a frame 11 which is secured to the wall and frames the opening into the chute. The doors are secured to the frame by suitable hinges l2. Handles 13 are provided for opening the doors. The doors usually remain in the closed position by a spring or counterweight. The handle 13 may control a suitable latch whereby the door may be unlatched and pulled open.

As previously stated, it is desirable that the doors be closed during the incinerating period and, that they cannot be opened when the refuse is being burned. To this end each of the doors is provided with a lock which may be controlled from a central point, in this instance from Ice the place where the refuse is being burned. Although the lock may be one that is used in conjunction with the manual latch, in the interest of simplifying the description it will be described as an entirely independent lock means.

In the drawings, each lock in its entirety is shown at 20 20 29 and 20 and, since they are all the same, the description of one and its manner of application to the door will suffice for all.

The locks may be disposed above and lock the door and frame together from above or they may be placed on either side. One lock for each door is indicated. They will be described as being mounted at the side of the door and locking the door to the frame from the side.

As best shown in FIG. 2, the door usually includes a flange Illa which may extend peripherally around the door or be a part of a hopper attached to a door. Suffice to say that the part 16a moves with the door, and extends inwardly alongside a flange 11a extending inwardly from the door frame 11. The two flanges may be spaced from each other and the periphery of the door usually extends over the flange 11a. This provides an effective seal between the door and frame and one through which smoke does not readily penetrate.

The door frame flange 11a is provided with an opening lib which registers with an opening 10b on the door flange when the door is closed. The flange around the opening lflb may be reinforced if desired by an apertured plate Mic.

The door and frame are locked together by a pin 21 which is a part of the lock and extends through the openings 10b and 11b. Preferably the pin is provided with a pointed end 214:, whereby, when it is forced through the opening Itlb, should the door be slightly open, the camming action of the pointed end surface 21a will cause the door to be tightly drawn to a closed position, provided of course that the door is not so far open that the point of the pin 21 cannot enter the opening 16b.

The pin 21 may be a part of or operated by a piston in an air or hydraulic cylinder, which in turn is operated by air or other fluid pressure. Air is preferred since it is inexpensive, does not freeze in cold weather and should it leak will cause no serious damage.

One form of the mechanism is illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 and includes a sheet metal box housing 26 comprised of sheet metal and having a base or back wall Ztla, end walls Zllb and 200, side walls 200! and a front face Zfle. The walls Ztld are provided with inwardly extending threaded lugs Ztif to which an escutcheon plate 20g, shown in dot dash lines, may be secured to close the housing, by screws Edit. The escutcheon plate Ztlg has a window opening Zlik. Outwardly extending flanges Ztim are provided on the end wall Ztib, whereby the box may be secured to the door or hopper frame 11.

As best shown in FIG. 3, a base plate 23 is provided and is supported in spaced relation from the back wall Ella by spacers 23a and screws 23b which extend through the plate and spacers and are threaded into the back wall. The end of the plate 23 extends forward from the back plate and is provided with a pin guiding opening 23d through which the pin 2-1 extends and is guided. The pin also projects through an opening in the end wall 20b of the housing.

The air cylinder comprises a body 24 having a pair of heads 24a and 24b on opposite ends. 'It is secured to the base 23 by screws 24c which extend through the marginal portions of the head 24a, spacers 24d, and are threaded into the base. Preferably the heads of the screws 240 are countersunk into the head 24a.

A fluid conducting coupling 24g is provided for the head Zdb to which an air inlet tube 30 is attached. A duct is provided opening from the coupling into the end of the cylinder whereby air may be admitted to the end of the cylinder. An exhaust coupling 2411 is provided near the other end of the cylinder to which an exhaust duct 31 is connected. There is likewise a duct opening from the coupling into the cylinder.

Within the cylinder there is a piston rod having a head 25a on one end. The rod extends out through the head 24a. The end of the rod 25 engages with a cross head 21b, which is a rectangular plate, secured on the end of the pin 21. The plate 21b is provided with a pair of pins 210 extending upward from the top edge and to which the ends of springs 26 are attached. The other ends of the spring are secured to pins 27 which extend outwardly from the edges of the head 2411 on opposite sides. Thus the lock pin 21 is retracted and the head 21b, which is in engagement with the end of the piston rod 25, urges the piston and piston rod to a retracted position.

When air is admitted through the inlet tube 39 to the end of the cylinder, the air pressure moves the piston to the left and the piston rod 25 moves the cross head 21b together with the pin 21 outward against the pressure of the springs 26. Eventually the piston head 25a travels beyond the exhaust opening to the tube 31, and the air is exhausted through the tube 31.

As will later appear so long as there is pressure in the cylinder, the piston will be in its outward position or to the left as viewed in the figures.

As previously stated, the cover 20g has a window 20k. A two color flag 28 is carried by a support 28a, which may be a spring or springs disposed on the ends of the pins 21c on the cross head. Therefore as the cross head moves, the flag 28 also moves under the window 20k. In the position shown, the flag would have a green portion disposed in front of the window, thus indicating that the door could be opened. When the cross head moves out, a red portion on the flag would pass in front of the window, indicating that the door was closed. The words open and closed could also be printed on the colored flag in contrasting colors.

It is apparent therefore that when air is supplied to anyone of the locks, the pin 21 looks the door and displays an indicator which tells the tent the condition.

Coming back to FIG. 1. It being assumed that a period has arrived where it is desirable to incinerate the refuse, the custodian closes a switch 40 which supplies current from a line 110 to an air compressor 41, air from the compressor is forced through the line 30 to the first air cylinder in the first lock on the first floor. The piston is forced outward and the pin 21 locks the door. When the piston moves past the outlet duct air is admitted to the line 31 which connects by the duct 30' to the inlet of the air lock on the next floor and from that lock by duct 30 to the lock on the upper floor. If all the doors 10 are properly closed in sequence and the last lock is operated, the air returns through a return line 32 to a bellows 33. The bellows 33 closes a switch 34 and this nergizes a firing control 35 which energizes a burner 70 and starts the refuse burning on the grate 71.

After the refuse is burnt, the custodian opens the switch and bleeds the line. Then all the doors are unlocked.

Should any one of the doors fail to lock, then the air cannot get back through the line 32 to the bellows 33 and the burning does not start. Since the sequence of the locking operation takes but a short time, the custodian, noting the condition, can immediately walk up the floors and note from the flags which door is not closed, and correct the deficiency.

It is contemplated that in some installations it may be desirable to provide some kind of an indicator, at the lower level, whereby the custodian can determine instantly which door is not locked. To this end each of the locks is provided with a pair of contacts to which wires 51 and 52 are connected. One contact of each of the sets is connected by the common wire 51 to the secondary of a transformer 53 and the other wire 52 of each contact connects to one side of the light bulb 54, the other sides of the filament being connected to the other end of the primary.

When the cross head moves out, it closes the contacts and each light lights consecutively, and, being numbered, should any light fail to light, the custodian can determine exactly where the trouble is.

It should be pointed out that the switch 40 could be operated by a suitable timer or clock, whereby the cycle may be started at any predetermined time. Once the cycle is started, the clock would automatically open the main switch after the firing period, which is predetermined, has elapsed. The same mechanism could also provide a signal which could be operated by the switches 50, after the starting cycle was supposed to start but did not, thus warning the custodian that the cycle was not proceeding according to plan, and he could rectify the difficulty.

For instance in the same clock mechanism, of which there are many controls now on the market, the signal would be operated after a predetermined time interval upon failure of the firing switch to close.

Preferably the compressor has a bleeder valve 60 which may also be a relief valve, which slowly bleeds the line, the compressor operating intermittently to keep the pressure up as long as it is energized. After the cycle is over, which can be determined by time or by a thermostat in the incinerator, the compressor is automatically de-energized and the bleeder bleeds the line and the doors are automatically unlocked.

Having thus described our invention in some embodiments thereof, we are aware that numerous and extensive departures will be apparent to those versed in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

3;. An incinerator control system in combination with a central incinerator system having a plurality of openings for the deposit of refuse and a series of discrete closure means closing said openings including a separate lock means for each of said closure means, means connected to said lock means for energizing the same, said lock means and said energizing means being sequentially connected to provide sequential operation of said lock means, each of said lock means in the preceding sequence of the lock means being connected to the succeeding lock means to control the locking of the next succeeding lock means after locking of the preceding lock means, a burner means for said incinerator and burner control means for energizing said burner, the last lock means of said series of lock means connected to said burner control means and arranged to energize said burner control means after the last in said series of lock means is locked.

2. An apparatus as described in claim 1, wherein signal means is provided for each of said lock means, each of said signal means being connected to said lock means and energized upon the locking of said corresponding lock means.

3. An incinerator system including an incinerator having a refuse receiving chute and door openings at spaced locations opening into said chute with closure means for each of said openings, fluid operated lock means for each of said closure means and cooperating with said closure to lock said closures against opening, each of said lock means including a cylinder and a piston disposed Within the cylinder and having a piston rod extending exteriorly thereof, a fluid inlet at one end of the cylinder and a fluid outlet spaced from the other end of the cylinder, a source of fluid pressure and conduit means connecting said source to the inlet end of said cylinder and conduit means connecting the fluid outlet for said cylinder to the fluid inlet of a succeeding cylinder and succeeding cylinders being connected ad seriatum in a like manner, switch means, conduit means connecting the outlet of the last of said cylinders to and operable to operate a switch means, a burner means for igniting said refuse and said switch means connected to and arranged to control the starting of said burner means.

4. An apparatus as defined in claim 3, wherein said lock means is supported near the side of said opening and said piston rod is arranged to engage with said closure and hold it against opening.

5. A device as described in claim 4, wherein indicator means is carried by said piston rod to indicate its position.

6. A device as described in claim 3, wherein said piston is arranged to travel beyond the fluid outlet and to enable fluid pressure to pass from the inlet directly to the outlet and spring means is provided, connected to the rod for retracting the rod upon the cessation of fluid pressure.

7. An incinerator control system for an apartment incinerator, comprising an incinerator chamber having a burner, a common refuse disposal chute connected with said incinerator chamber and said chute being formed with openings for the reception of refuse at spaced apart relations with closures for closing said openings, means for holding said closures locked over said openings during a refuse burning period which comprises lock means for each of said openings, said lock means including a fluid cylinder, a piston in the cylinder and inlet and outlet ducts for said cylinder, a piston rod connected to said piston and bolt means disposed in the path of movement of the piston rod and operable thereby, said bolt means being arranged to lock said closure means, and signal means carried by said bolt means and visible for indicating the state of actuation of the bolt means, a source of fluid under pressure and conduit means connecting said source to the inlet of at least one of said cylinders, a switch, and the outlet of said cylinder being connected to the inlet of the next succeeding cylinder ad seriaturn for the total number of cylinders with the outlet from the last of said series of cylinders being operably connected to said switch, a burner activating control connected to said switch and operable to start the burner operating after the last of said series of cylinders is activated.

8. A device as described in claim 7, wherein circuit means is provided with switch means at each of said lock means and operable upon movement of said bolt means 6 to actuate said switch means and a plurality of signal means are provided at a common point and arranged to be energized by said switches and said circuit means to indicate the separate operative condition of said bolt means.

9. A system for locking a series of doors comprising a plurality of doors, a lock for each door, fluid actuated operating means operatively connected with said locks to cause the locking of each door in sequence only after locking of the preceding door in the series of doors, said fiuid actuated operating means including a cylinder and piston assembly associated with each of said locks, the cylinder of each assembly including fluid inlet and fluid outlet means spaced from said fluid inlet means, the pistons of each assembly being operatively connected with the associated lock, a source of fluid pressure, conduit means connecting said source of fluid pressure to the inlet means of one of said cylinders to a first cylinder, conduit means connecting the fluid outlet of said first cylinder to the fluid inlet means of a succeeding cylinder and successive cylinders being connected in series in a like manner so that fluid pressure can pass from one cylinder to a successive cylinder only after fluid pressure has actuated the piston of such one cylinder so as to uncover the outlet means thereof and provide communication with the succeeding cylinder.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 784,064 3/05 Nordenberg '264 2,640,447 6/53 Blum -48 2,783,723 3/57 Lowenthal et a1. l1018 2,838,016 6/58 Sharpe 11018 3,062,521 11/62 Kraschinsky et a1. 263--19 FOREIGN PATENTS 209,154 1/ 24 Great Britain.

JAMES W. WESTHAVER, Primary Examiner. JOHN J. CAMBY, Examiner. 

1. AN INCINERATOR CONTROL SYSTEM IN COMBINATION WITH A CENTRAL INCINERATOR SYSTEM HAVING A PLURALITY OF OPENINGS FOR THE DEPOSIT OF REFUSE AND A SERIES OF DISCRETE CLOSURE MEANS CLOSING SAID OPENINGS INCLUDING A SEPERATE LOCK MEANS FOR EACH OF SAID CLOSURE MEANS, MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID LOCK MEANS FOR ENERGIZING THE SAME, SAID LOCK MEANS AND SAID ENERGIZING MEANS BEING SEQUENTIALLY CONNECTED TO PROVIDE SEQUENTIAL OPERATION OF SAID LOCK MEANS, EACH OF SAID LOCK MEANS IN THE PRECEDING SEQUENCE OF THE LOCK MEANS BEING CONNECTED TO THE SUCCEEDING LOCK MEANS TO CONTROL THE LOCKING OF THE NEXT SUCCEEDING LOCK MEANS AFTER LOCKING OF THE PRECEDING LOCK MEANS, A BURNER MEANS FOR SAID INCINERATOR AND BURNER CONTROL MEANS FOR ENERGIZING SAID BURNER, THE LAST LOCK MEANS OF SAID SERIES OF LOCK MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID BURNER CONTROL MEANS AND ARRANGED TO ENERGIZE SAID BURNER CONTROL MEANS AFTER THE LAST IN SAID SERIES OF LOCK MEANS IS LOCKED. 